Christian Mayberry: Meet the 2014 Best Music Photographers in St. Louis

It is truly hard to pick one favorite thing, but the easiest one that comes to mind is the mini adrenaline rush you get when shooting shows. When the lights go out before the show, all of us in the pit can feel the energy from 15,000 to 25,000 people, knowing that they have waited months to see the bands you are about to photograph. For the next couple songs you feel as if the band is working for you, to help you create amazing images so the fans at the show can look back and remember their favorite night with their favorite bands. It is always a great experience being in the pit, whether it is for a small band or large one. We don't always get to technically experience the full effect of the show, as we all have our faces in our cameras, trying to make sure we have our settings correct or making sure we capture that quick jump by the band that only happens once a show. But those moments where you feel the energy from the crowd make it worth it.

Christian Mayberry

All That Remains

Pick one of the photos you've submitted and tell us a little about it: Where was it shot, who is featured and (most importantly) how did you capture it? We'd love to hear logistical description or technical breakdowns or whatever else you want to tell us.

The photo I chose is of one of my favorite bands, All That Remains. This was shot in May last year in Kansas City for Rockfest. it was right after I had the chance to interview the lead singer, Phil Labonte, in the band's tour bus. What was supposed to be a fifteen-minute interview turned into two hours -- we had a lot of fun just joking around, so when
it came to finally shooting their set, he made sure to come in front of my camera about 25 times, making it one of the best sets I've ever shot.

As for the technical breakdown, it was a very bright day, so shooting at apertures of 2.8 wasn't cutting it. So I stuck an nd filter onto to my Nikon 70-200 2.8 and was able to shoot fast shutter speeds while using 2.8 in bright sun.